Apart from incredible beaches, killer coffee, world-class pubs and an enviable climate, one of Australia’s biggest drawcards is the collection of native animals that call the island continent home. Then there’s a place in a class of its own: Kangaroo Island.

Discovering the Living Root Bridges of Cherrapunjee wasn’t the only thing in Meghalaya state to leave a lasting impression on Annapurna Mellor. It was the Khasi culture and its strong, vivacious matriarchs too.

Excuse the pun, but I’m head over heels for Southern Italy. To be more specific, I’m talking about the region of Puglia – that intoxicating sliver of land fringed on two sides by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.